For many Regent University students, the Ordinary Café is a popular spot for getting food, hanging out with friends, and even studying. But beginning this year, the Ordinary has taken on an even larger role on campus with the new dining changes aimed at improving both dining options and the student community.
At the start of the Fall 2025 semester, several major updates were introduced to improve the Ordinary Café. Changes that had been in development for years, like the new buffet, were finally implemented, along with extended operating hours that now include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Patrons of the Ordinary can opt to order food during lunch hours or go through the buffet line, which is available for three meals a day. The café also adopted an updated transaction system designed to streamline meal swipes and ordering.
Additionally, three different levels of meal plans were launched, making dining on campus more accessible and convenient for students. With greater flexibility, more substantial food options, and faster service through the buffet, the Ordinary is evolving into far more than a small campus café; it is becoming a central hub for daily student life.
Katherine Mulgrew, who has served as Regent’s Director of Food Services for five years, played a central role in shaping these changes. She explained that the new meal plans and dining options grew out of her observation that many students, especially those living on their own for the first time, struggle to prepare regular meals due to time constraints from school or sports or a lack of knowledge. She often thought about students relying on snacks or quick fixes when they were tired, rushed, or inexperienced in the kitchen. “Not every student knows how to cook,” she noted. “We should be able to provide good, healthy meals, not just PB&Js and ramen.”
Her goal was to make the Ordinary Café a place where students could reliably get a substantial meal without adding extra stress about eating to their academic workload. That vision became the driving force behind her push to expand the café’s offerings and create a more flexible and expansive dining system for the campus.
She also described the long process behind making some of these ideas a reality. After considering the idea for a while, she went full speed in 2023, spending two years developing the new system and working through logistical challenges before it was finally ready to be implemented at the Ordinary Café.
Mulgrew’s broader vision for the café, however, goes beyond the practical goal of feeding students. Rather than functioning as a purely transactional place to order food, the Ordinary is also a spot where students often spend time with friends or focus on schoolwork. Mulgrew says, “Our motto is gather, eat, fellowship, so that’s how I want students to feel when they come in and see us.” And this vision is constantly seen in the Ordinary. Especially during popular hours, the space is filled with students and bustling conversation. Students walk in expecting not only to eat, but also to socialize.
Among those who rely most on the Ordinary are Regent’s student athletes. With busy training schedules and frequent travel, many athletes struggle to maintain healthy routines without quick, reliable access to food. Freshman basketball athlete Mikaylah, who has a meal plan and visits the Ordinary Cafe almost every day, affirms this mission, noting the convenience of having more dining options as a busy student-athlete. Mikaylah says the expanded hours and buffet at the Ordinary cafe are very convenient when she is busy with practices or schoolwork and doesn’t have time to make food.
She also emphasized the Ordinary Café’s role as a central gathering place on campus, noting, “Sometimes my team meets up to hang out, or we get food together.” In addition to providing consistent meals, the Ordinary serves as a space where friendships are formed, and community grows.
Mulgrew also talked about her hopes for the future of the Ordinary Cafe, with the new porch edition, and she hopes to perfect the system for next year. These updates are part of a broader vision of transforming the Ordinary into a more functional, multi-purpose space where students can stop for a quick meal, meet with friends, or settle in to study between classes.
As these updates continue to take shape, the Ordinary Café is positioning itself not just as a place to eat but also as a space that supports the student population. Its commitment to the vision of living out the motto “gather, eat, fellowship” remains at the center of that effort, guiding how the café grows to meet the needs of the campus.